BURNABY, B.C. (February 16, 2015) – On February 12, 2015 the Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing and Deputy Premier, Rich Coleman introduced the Building Act to establish more consistent building requirements throughout BC, with the exception of the City of Vancouver.
The ‘consistent requirements’ are what many advocacy groups in the residential construction industry have previously referred to as a Uniform Building Code. Modernization of the Building Code has been a topic of discussion among the provincial government and industry stakeholders since 2004. In recent meetings with government officials, CHBA BC was informed that there would be a name change, but until now could not divulge on the specific details due to a confidentiality agreement.
The Building Act is the result of years of industry advocacy, including of course the efforts of CHBA BC as we have been involved in ongoing consultation with the Ministry. These efforts include recent discussions at the Modernization Review Group, which CHBA BC Past President, Nathan Stone and CHBA BC, Neil Moody sit on as representatives for the Association.
In November 2014, during its first policy priority meeting, CHBA BC’s Government Relations Committee confirmed that our association is unified on the position of seeking a uniform application of the Code across BC jurisdictions. Thus, the announcement of the Building Act is aligned with CHBA BC Government Relations Committee’s advocacy objectives and efforts.
CHBA BC and its Government Relations Committee will be releasing further commentary on the Building Act in the coming weeks.
To read the full news release, click here. You can also find the first reading of the full legislation by clicking here.
For more information:
Jill Greenwood
Assistant Director, Government Relations & Communications
604-432-7112 ext. 323
